BBC1 TV programme Sunday with Laura Kuenesburgh this morning was good. We heard promising remarks about future housing and infrastructure supply from the Deputy PM Angela Rayner, all said with integrity. Then some cautious but conciliatory remarks also said with integrity from the Conservative spokesman, Richard their shadow chief secretary to the Treasury. He wisely said they had made past mistakes. Hurrah for some political honesty on both sides of the divide. If this means both main political parties are beginning to recognise they both face the same challenges and both accept the same desire for change then this morning’s programme might be the reality tipping point we need.
Good start but there is a long way to go. More worrying, Angela still does not know there are two vital foundational components her government, being the one in power must find and then deliver. But I also wonder how much alignment back bone the Conservatives will show when the debate about local democracy and local lobby groups takes off. This will happen as national and local growth plans, which are vital to attract investors, are unveiled. The Conservatives rural activists are skilled at manipulating local controls to block local change, hiding their financial fears under cloaks with other names. At least the £100 million bat tunnel over HS2 has exposed one crazy outcome. Protecting future generations from climate change is sound, and means new home buyers need to dump their old assumptions about car ownership. New public transport must reach London’s standards. You want your own car. Then you pay for the privilege.
What are the missing components? First, Angela needs to see that you cannot obtain widespread local support for significant local spatial change by simply telling local councils to deliver targets or policies where they want by solely relying on the existing local plan system. This is a difficult and radical necessity for process change even if the powers of local lobby groups to interfere with individual applications are curtailed. To obtain beautiful new communities, which deliver lots of free local community benefits development land ownership must pass into the hands of local councils.And they must be taught how to use this new responsibility. It will deliver the tenure mix they want; the social balance they want; the infrastructure they want; and the funds they want through land value capture. Politically there must be locally cross-party support and in addition locally there is cross-boundary strategic deliver. Due to transition realities and market equity, a two phase programme will be needed. Phase one to the end of the current relevant local plan cycle. Phase two then follows.
The second all important component is timing. Delivering beautiful new homes, well designed new communities and transport together with a basket of local community goodies needs time. One parliament may be enough to put the core delivery foundations in place, provided this happens with cross-party support in Westminster and locally too. Which is why winning proactive policy alignment support from both Conservatives and Liberal Democrat’s is very important. Without this shared endeavour local vested interests owners and lobby groups masquerading as conservationists will resume their highly successful policy of long term hibernation which will makes spatial conflicts in the growth locations in the years ahead far more contentious to deliver.
Keeping fingers crossed!
Ian Campbell
8 December 2024
